Yep...for a street car, I wouldn't use 1 3/4" until 3.8L. Even then 1 5/8" would work better for the RPM range you be using it on the street.

Engine / Transaxle Install
 

Yes, both of the extension tubes come with an O2 sensor bung welded in.

Got down to the tool rental yard just as they opened this morning and rented a knock down engine hoist and a floor jack.

The engine hoist got the engine off the engine stand and onto my floor jack which had the Jack Adapter Tool (PP P/N: PEL-PW-2563) installed.

The second floor jack was helpful getting the transaxle lifted up so I could mate the transaxle to the engine, and once the engine / transaxle was in position under the car, to lift the nose of the transaxle so I could get the shifter shaft into the chassis tunnel.

Thank you to the wife who stood in as a shop assistant and did a great job.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720815201.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720815201.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720815201.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720815201.jpg

Still have to make all the connections: axle shafts, oil lines, shifter, throttle, electrical (starter & EFI items, ground strap from transaxle to chassis), speedo cable.... plus re-install the rear bumper and side pieces.

Making Connections after Engine / Transaxle Install
 

Today was a long day in the garage making all the connections to the engine and the transaxle. Everything in the engine bay and under the car is now connected.

I filled the engine with 15W-50 break-in oil and I filled the transaxle with 80W-90 gear oil.

I cranked the engine with the ignition and the fuel systems disabled and no spark plugs to pre-lube the engine prior to start up. The oil pressure warning light went out after 5 seconds of cranking - I cranked the starter 15 seconds, then stopped let it cool down 5 minutes then repeated 15 second cranking 2 more cycles. Each time the oil pressure warning light went out so I know I was building oil pressure, but the oil pressure gauge was reading near zero. I had installed a new "OEM" oil pressure sending unit from Pelican Parts, so I removed the new oil pressure sending unit and re-installed the old sending unit, then re-ran the cranking test, the oil pressure gauge was now reading 15-20 PSI during cranking.

I removed the muffler which I had only loosely installed for the engine / transaxle insertion into the car (I had to get the weight balance correct for the jack adapter I was using). Then I re-installed the rear bumper and rear side pieces and then installed the muffler. Once the muffler was installed, I tightened the v-clamps for the header extensions and installed the wide band O2 sensor and the O2 sensor interface unit.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720930024.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720930024.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720930024.jpg

Next up will be to adjust the clutch, connect the shift lever to the transaxle, install new spark plugs, and add fresh gas to the tank which I pumped dry 4 months ago, then I should be ready for engine start up.

You are moving fast -- and it looks stunning! Great photos as always. I'm glad to read that you didn't panic over the initial oil pressure readings. Good on you to have the other sending unit on hand and trying that out as the possible fix. I imagine you were quite relieved to see actual gauge needle movement! Thanks for posting.

Pre-Flight Checks
 

Today I got the final connections made: adjusted the clutch, installed the spark plugs, installed the rear anti-sway bar, and rear tires. Finally after nearly 6 months I was able to take the car off jack stands.

Next, I went in the cabin and installed the coupler and tightened down the collar between the coupler and the shifter rod. I had marked the depth and orientation of the shifter rod on the spines of the coupler to make re-assembly easier.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720987964.jpg

I was ready to make the initial engine start up, so I made 3 trips to the gas station with my CA mandated 2.5 gal gas can to get fresh gas.

Now I started my pre-flight checks which began with a thorough inspection in the engine bay and beneath the car including double checking the engine and transaxle mounting bolts.

Next came switching the ignition on (key on, engine off) with the fuel pump disconnected, then connecting the MegaSquirt ECU to my laptop PC running Tuner Studio with the serial to USB cable I keep attached to the ECU. One, I verified that I was able to communicate with the ECU, and two, I wrote the updated tuner file (2803 cc vs 2683 cc, 7500 rpm stretch to AFR, VE, and timing advance tables) to the ECU.

Finally, I connected the fuel pump and switched the ignition on (key on, engine off) to check for fuel leaks. I heard the fuel pump start running but it sounded odd, then I looked at the pressure gauge on the fuel pressure regulator and it wasn't building pressure (it was set to 38 PSI). Then I realized why, fuel was gushing out of both fuel rails and down each injector. I turned the key off.

I loosened the 6mm screws on each rail to their mounting brackets and pushed down to make sure the injectors were seated in the rails. Then I re-tightened the 6mm screws and re-tested the fuel system - still leaking huge amounts of fuel.

By this time, I had a gasoline lake under my car.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720987964.jpg

Once the lake evaporated a bit, I removed one of the fuel rails so I could inspect the injectors. I found the upper o-ring on each injector to be very hard and shrunken - there was no sealing / snugness of fit to the pocket in the fuel rail. Meanwhile the lower o-ring was still flexible and supple, the bottom of the injector fit snugly into the pocket of the ITB, as well as, the fuel rail. Clearly, the upper o-ring that is normally always in contact with gasoline hadn't fared well after being dry for 6 months.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720987964.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720987964.jpg

Thank you to Al Kosmal for sharing with me his source for new remanufactured fuel injectors: injectorplanet.com. I was able to order a set of fuel injectors. Now I wait for parts.

Thank God I didn't start the engine....

Dan,
you were smart to do the mandatory fuel pressure/leak test, prior to trying to start the engine......I do that, as well as having two charged fire extinguishers at the ready....every time I do the initial start-up.

regards,
al

Manditory Fuel Pressure / Leak Test
 

Today at 8AM, I received a set of new fuel injectors - I decided to order new injectors and have them shipped overnight first delivery in addition to the remanufactured units already on order from injectorplanet.com (I'll keep the reman units on hand as back-ups).

I lightly lubricated the upper and lower o-rings with vasoline, inserted the injectors into the fuel rail, inserted the fuel rail / injector assembly into the ITB's, inserted the 6mm screws thru the fuel rail hold down brackets and into the fuel rail and tightened, then reconnected and tightened the AN-6 fuel supply line fitting to the fuel rail and repeated the procedure for the other fuel rail.

I reconnected the electrical plug to the fuel pump and turned the ignition switch to "On". This time, the fuel pump started and pressure in the fuel rails built up to 40 PSI on the gauge at the fuel pressure regulator and there were no fuel leaks. Fuel leak problem solved.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1721149481.jpg

Later today I will be receiving new copper 12 x 16 x 1.5 mm sealing washers to replace the weak aluminum units that were supplied in the Pelican Parts sourced engine gasket kit and I will replace the aluminum washers for the copper washers on the banjo bolts and oil restriction adapters for the cam tower oil supply lines. I don't like the way the aluminum washers felt when I tightened the adapter and the banjo bolts and I don't want oil leaks there from the get go.

Following Al's recommendation, I bought a second A-B-C fire extinguisher, so I can have two fully charged fire extinguishers at the ready when I do the initial engine start up hopefully later today.

Great idea!!! BTW, I've been following along on this thread. Great work and good luck with the start.
Dave

Initial Start Up / Cam Break-In
 

Yesterday, I received and installed the new copper sealing washers for the cam tower oil lines, ran one 15 second cranking cycle to check oil pressure, made a final visual inspection before start up, ran a final fuel pressure / leak check, then opened the hand throttle a bit and cranked over the engine. It started almost immediately and I adjusted the hand throttle to give about 2000 rpm. The engine ran rather rough, and had a hard time holding 2000 rpm, it either wanted to run at 1500 rpm or rev up to 3000+ rpm. Also, I noted the intake vacuum was reading 85 - 100 kPa between 1500 - 2000 rpm, I visually checked for sources of vacuum leaks but found none. I ran the engine for 20 minutes, then closed the hand throttle and let the engine drop down to idle and shut it off. First engine run to break-in the camshafts was completed.

I immediately jacked up the car and drained the engine oil - it had started out darkish amber and was now a grayish amber. I change the oil filter and added fresh 15W-50 break-in oil.

Next steps are to check and adjust the timing advance offset to make sure the timing commanded by the ECU matches the physical timing of the engine as measured with a timing light, and then balance the airflow thru the ITB's.

Since the vacuum signal with the S-cams appears to be weak, I have created a new project in Tuner Studio which uses alpha-n (TPS signal) for loading sensing rather than speed density (MAP signal) I was using with the engine before the rebuild.

Congratulations Dan!

I will be curious to how the TPS based tune works for you. I’m thinking about trying the TPS myself so I can free up the ports on the throttle bodies for idle air.

I am able to get around 50 kpa at idle on mine though.

Thank you. Before the rebuild with stock CIS cams and the ITB's, I got 50-55 kPa at idle.

Not for nothing but balancing the ITBs should be the first order of business otherwise everything else will be tail chasing.

After checking ignition timing, balancing the ITB's is the next step - I am pretty sure the left and right banks are out of sync, so I expect the rough running at 2000 rpm to settle down after I balance the ITB's as it did when I originally installed and set up the ITB EFI last year.

Only then can I get a real measure of the vacuum signal quality - thank you Showdown for your input.

Curious to see what you do with your tune and TPS mode vs SD….

Idle at 85kpa is wild!

Those ITB's are sensitive to the alignment of all the brackets holding the fuel rail. They are FAR from precision. Had the same problem the first (and likely only time) we used that product.... was not the o-rings as injectors were brand new.....

Cheers

In my case the issue was not the design of the fuel rail nor their mounting brackets. It was due to the upper o-ring on the injector becoming hard and shrunken after being in service and in constant contact with fuel then being dried out for six months while I rebuild the engine.

When I installed new injectors with fresh o-rings, the injectors fit snugly into the fuel rails and the ITB's and the fuel leak problem was solved.

Hi Dan,

Nice work, if you don’t mind, could you show your VE table? Curious how you graduated the sensor position and also how you made the conversion from MAP to TPS. Did you use a data log to try and see what MAP value related to throttle position?

Thanks,
Rutager

Something to consider;

I have been playing with using secondary table (or table switching, both do the same thing bus through different mechanisms) with speed density effectively creating a VE table with 16x32 bins of resolution.

My primary table goes from 35 kpa to 80kpa and my secondary table from 80-101kpa.

The amount of resolution this affords means that I can have individual rows for 85-101kpa giving me all the control I want and need. With my engine basically everything happens from about 84-100kpa and being able to precisely control the fueling for each step in kpa has meant that I don’t need to use ITB mode or Alpha-N.

Just food for thought.

Hi Julian,

How do you accomplish having two tables. Do they change automatically, or do you need to have a switch or sensor?

Thanks

Hey Rutager, et al…

Not to hijack thread but it’s topical. I can create a separate thread later with pics if there’s interest. I’m out of town for a few days though so it may be a week…

There are two ways; table switching and secondary table.

I wasn’t having great luck with table switching (jamie and I were comparing approaches in real time and he had luck but he has a PC and I have a Mac and we suspect there may be a software difference as we set them up the same.) but I had success with secondary tables.

Secondary tables and table switching are ostensibly used for boost applications but we can trick TunerStudio and Megasquirt into using them for load in non boost applications.

I’ll have to reference my TunerStudio setup and I’m away but IIRC, the setting is in “Advanced/Boost” and you turn secondary table on and set what y axis is uses (alpha-n, SD, %baro…) and it MUST be the same as your primary VE table 1. You then set the switch point (80kpa, 90% baro, etc) and whether the formula is additive or multiplicative. I use additive which adds the bottom row of VE table 3 (your secondary table) to the top row of VE table 1 (your primary table) this is only for secondary table not table switching.

If you’re using table switching that gets setup in general settings and it creates VE 1 and VE 2.

Then you tune. You have to run two VEAL windows, one on each table at the same time (it works) in order to autotune. But really, autotune should only be used to get a basic basic running setup and manual tuning should be the primary way (I firmly believe this for any efi system: autotune is just to get you in the stadium). Plus, you now have a lot more resolution so you really don’t want to leave it up to the computer which is kinda dumb.

It really helps to start off with a good single table tune and use those numbers in the bins on the two tables. Just transfer over the applicable values and manually interpolate (or you can use the auto interpolate) between the known points.

On my setup, the only odd part that took me a minute to figure out was the transition from VE 1 to VE 3. With additive I had to set the values in VE 3 as if I were adding them to the last, top row value of VE 1. So some of the bins on VE 3 were 2 & 3 because they were added to the previous VE bins of 50 & 51. If I used 52 & 54 the car was so rich it died because the actual bin values were 50 & 51 (from VE 1) PLUS 52 & 54 (from VE 3) making 102 & 105 which was way too rich. But by using bin value 2 & 3 on VE 3 they were added to 50 & 51 from VE 1 giving me 52 & 44… make sense?

It’s a bit more convoluted as you have two tables to manage now but the resolution is amazing.

Not super easy, but worth a try on a second, experimental tune.

So just one point to circle back on this as I specialized in flat six exhaust for the last 25 years. The reason for poor vacuum signal was/is the header size. Back when Richard Parr owned PMO he called me and asked that I stop selling 1.625 headers to folks with engines smaller than 3.0 and it wasn’t once but multiple times. The PMOs had such a poor vacuum signal with larger primaries the cars ran terrible down low and would idle terribly.


Otherwise carry on looks like you’re doing a nice job.

The very best must have book for tuning theory I've seen is this book written by Greg Banish
https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Management-Advanced-Greg-Banish/dp/1932494421
Must have for anyone wanting to learn the proper way to tune.

His other book is also worth having:
https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Tuning-High-Performance-Injection-Systems/dp/1932494901

Greg was my mentor when I designed and tuned my MAF system for the 84-89 3.2L. Greg is one of the most talented free-lance tuners in the world, often hired by FORD and GM labs for his services. He was instrumental in helping FORD with the eco-boost engine design.

Here's a hint for AFR target during initial tuning, set your AFR target table to 12.8 across the board. That AFR is safe at WOT and will also work at PT and Idle, it's rich but it allows you to watch for just one single number on the AFR gauge. This means you don't need to think about the target AFR, your target is the same at idle, PT and WOT very easy for you to remember.

Then once the VE table is fixed up to hit your target you can then go into the AFR table and do the final desired settings.

Feel free to PM me with your email as I have experience in tuning these engines I can give you decent idea of ignition needed at idle, PT and WOT as for fuel just target 12.8 across the board for now, that AFR should run just fine.

But using MAP based tune on ITBs may not work so well, do you have the option to use TPS? or a combo of TPS and MAP?

The very best would be to build a air tight plenum on top of those ITBs then a horn off the plenum with a 3" MAF :) and use true MAF for metering air very accurately.

Something like this can easily have MAF sensor adapted to it.
https://www.fvd.net/us-en/FVD11096405/rsr-style-individual-throttle-body-kit-964-993-magnesium-for-mass-air-flow-sensor-street.html

Here's example of itbs with MAF, not a 911 engine but to give you the basic idea
https://myndasafn.bmwkraftur.is/d/46292-1/airbox+_Large_.jpg

Another hint: these engines need very little if any acceleration enrichment. Do not apply any accel enrichment initially, especially with ITBs even less is needed. The reason we need it is to replace the fuel that settles on the walls of the plenum but with ITBs you have no plenum! Greg's book covers this topic in detail.

OK, so looks like MAP/KPA is a no go, I'm not surprised when using ITBs.
TPS is your best bet with ITBs but you must map out the load rows in the tables to carefully match the various driving conditions. Idle, PT and WOT voltages. No point having a row in the table that you can't get to. For example if the max WOT voltage from the TPS is 4.5vdc then no point having 4.75 and 5.0 vdc rows. Hope that makes sense.

Does the EFI have the ability to have idle dedicated tables? Like could you install a idle switch that the EFI reads? It would allow for things like decel fuel cut, where if the throttle blade goes back to idle stop and down hill coasting the EFI can then shut injectors completely off.

Really nice work you are doing on your car Dan, and very thorough documentation that will help other people following in your footsteps. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/clap.gif

Also some great pointers on things you should watch out for from people with a lot of experience building and tuning these cars and their engines.

Not sure if you missed it but did you address the (too much) amount of Loctite on the cam boxes that Ian and Mike have pointed out?

I'd listen to Ben on exhaust and header selection advice as well, not many people know as much about them as he does....

Cheers,
Lukas

Dan, Julian and Sal(hope I didn’t miss anyone),

Thanks to all of you for sharing tables and tips on tuning. I have so much to learn and everything helps!

Dan,

I have seen similar results when checking my TPS on the data log and I wonder if you would(me) would be best served with a bunch of tiny increments in the zero to maybe 5% and then larger jumps up the scale? My take is that for normal cruising, you aren’t really giving it much gas.

Rutager

Dan,

Sorry if I missed it, but your spark advance seems very high in some cells. Can you explain the reasoning and how it works?

Good luck at the dyno. I called every dyno place I could find in the metro area of MN and couldn’t find anyone would could/would tune my car. Would have loved to have had a pro get there hands on mine. Looking forward to reading about your results.

Thanks,
Rutager

Why don't you have him break in the engine on the dyno and do the whole tune? He can break the engine in in less than an hour...

See here:

https://www.hpacademy.com/previous-webinars/229-engine-break-in-myths-dispelled/

I hate seeing people waste their time...

Dan,

Thanks, great explanation. I just ordered the book as well.

Rutager

How did you end up at 14° for your idle?

The twin plugged 964 pushes timing up to nearly 45 degrees at low load. Map courtesy of Steve Wong's 911 Chips site:



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1721922890.jpg

Damn Dan!
You know I’m going to be calling on you when I finally get my ‘74 body back from paint and place Al’s little gem in the back. Transmission rebuild started today. Took 6 weeks to get an original Porsche R&P from the dealer. Think it came over on a luxury liner, in the Captains Suite. The Dyno tuning is something I want to get done after it’s in and at a baseline. Thanks for the amazing write up. I’ve been quietly following your progress.
Tony

Dan,

That's impressive, well done!

As a fellow 2.7 owner that has been following your journey, would you mind summarizing the changes you made to your engine?

I plan on replicating a lot of your changes.

Thanks,
Kevin

Hi Dan,

Impressive gain to have an extra 18% power just from (additional dyno) tuning!

As an inexperienced noob, I'd love to learn here:
- I thought your air fuel ratio was already fairly close to ideal (e.g. 12 or 12.5:1 at 100% throttle, leaner for cruising), as you had been tuning with a wide band already. What parameters did the tuner change, to get that much extra power?
- Given that the power and torque built up more linearly previously, what is causing the drop in the mid 3000 RPM range, and could it be tuned out, without affecting the high RPM range?

Cheers,
Lukas

Dan,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated!

Can you comment on the reasoning behind your decision to upgrade the cylinders? Could you have used the JE 92mm pistons with your existing cylinders?

Also, I'm guessing the extra deck height is what caused your compression ration to go from 9.5 to 9.8?

Cheers,
Kevin

Hi Dan,

That certainly is a significant dip in VE between 3k and 4k. I'm wondering, that since its basically inefficient cylinder fill and slow to light-off, if increasing your ignition advance in that area might help. Similar to cruise state low VE timing.

Ah, a good dyno tuner is hard to find. Tuning to MBT is the only way to properly tune. Sounds like you have the right guy!

Sounds like a great build! Congrats!

Can you explain the last dyno pic? Legend shows TQ as blue and HP as red, but on my screen it shows red and green lines? Maybe it is my laptop. Can you post just a final run HP/TQ with no previous data overlay? That plot looks like a big loss in the 3000-3650ish range?

Maybe also post an AFR plot to go with the power curve.

Cheers